Spring bed-bottom



M BM D .UE B .G m IR W (No Model.-)

Patented Aug. 18,- 1891.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ADDISON F. PUREFOY, OF \VAKE FOREST, NORTH CAROLINA.

SPRING BED-BOTTOM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 458,067, dated August18, 1891.

Application filed October 18, 1890. Serial No- 368,562. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, ADDISON F. PUREFOY, a citizen of the United States,residing at IVake Forest, North Carolina, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Spring Bed-Bottoms, of which the followingspecification is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates more particularly to spring bed-bottoms; but theimprovements constituting the same are each included for all the uses towhich it may be adapted-as, for example, in spring seats and lounges, orin structures generally which employ coiledwire springs.

In my application filed August 8, 1889, and officially numbered 320,093,I have described the use of two sets of wire braces for the springs, oneset consisting of parallel substantially straight tangential bracesprovided with lateral loops bent around the spring-wires, and the secondset consisting of parallel diametrical braces running across the springsat right angles to the said tangential braces and threaded through theeyes formed by and between the closed ends of said lateral loops and theadjacent springwires. After the tangential braces have been applied tothe springs, the diametrical braces can easily be threaded across theentire structure. In accordance with the present invention the saiddiametrical braces, after their insertion horizontally through the eyes,are bent close to the corresponding eyes,which bends, being transverseto the length of the said braces, insure against movement of the eyesover the same. They lie on the same side of both the tangential braceand the spring-wire and are easily made after insertion of thediametrical braces. Further, in the present invention at one or more ofthe edges of the'structure a wire in addition to the tangential brace isemployed, such additional wire being held in place by the looped ends ofthe diametrical braces which inclose the lateral loops or eyes of thetangential braces. Thirdly, in the present invention the ends of thetangential braces are bent into loops vertically, which loops aredirectly adjacent to the last lateral loops in the respective braces.These vertical loops, When hooked over the spring-wire, admit of thetangential brace being turned to insert the adjacent lateral loop underthe same spring-Wire, and are preferably then closed or contractedvertically by pressure, so as to engage the spring wire more closely.

In addition to these improvements the present invention also comprises anew or improved hinge for connecting together two structures of springs,(such as the two halves of a bed-bottom,) and this hinge is included inthe invention irrespective of the form and arrangement of the braces, asWell as in connection with the tangential and diametrical bracesaforesaid, the hinge adapted to this connection constituting a specialfeature of invention. This new orilnproved hinge is made of Wire orflexible strip metal, which is looped abouta Wire on one of theconnected structures,

so as to constitute a flexible hinge-joint and which is secured to theother structure or half of the bed-bottom at two points at least, so asto be held rigidly. Thus the two structures when flattened out alwaysoccupy the same position, and the hinge or hinges (for a number areused) are not apt to get out of the top plane of the bed-bottom, as isthe case when the hinges have each a pintle at each end like a link.Preferably the hinges are arranged at the ends of the cross-braces, thehinge-wires engaging the looped ends of the abutting cross-braces. Withthe above-mentioned arrangement of the tangential and diametricalbraces, the former with lateral loops through which the diametricalbraces are threaded, the hinge Wires are passed through the looped endsof the diametrical braces on one side of the line of hinging, and thesaidhinge-wires are each secured to the structure on the opgosite sideof said line by passing the ends thereof on either sideof a lateral loopunder a longitudinal wire and over and around a diametrical brace.

Another improvement consists in the use of one or more additional wires011 one or on each side of the line of hinging in a spring bed-bottomhaving the hinges between the springs and provided with a tangentialbrace secured to said springs on each side of said line of hinging. Suchadditional Wires prevent sagging of the bed in the middle.

In the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification,Figure I is a plan view of part of a bed-bottom embodying the invention.Fig. II is a View in section in line '1; I; of Fig. I. Fig. III is adetail view in section on line i i i of Fig. I, and Fig. IV is a diagramillustrating the application of one of the tangential braces.

The springs A may be of any ordinary or suitable form; but, as shown,they are of the double-cone form. At one or both ends of the springs(preferably at both ends) are the parallel substantially straighttangential braces 13, provided with lateral loops 2, which receive thespring-wires 3 in their U-bends 2, and the diametrical braces G, whichare threaded horizontally through the eyes 2", made by the closed endsof the loops 2. The tangential braces B are each provided at its endswith vertical loops 4, which are directly adjacent to the last lateralloops 2 in the brace. Each of these loops at is hooked over thespring-wire 3, and is such as to permit the tangential brace B to beturned a quarterturn into the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig.IV, to permit the closed end 2 of the lateral loop 2 to be slipped underthe springwire 3 of the outside spring A. The tangential brace is thenturned into the position shown in full lines. The loop L may afterwardbe flattened vertically by pressure. lVhen the end of the tangentialbrace has been secured the spring-wires of the inside springs A may beslipped over the closed ends 2" of the corresponding lateral loops 2.After the diainetrical braces have been threaded through the eyes 2 theyare bent at 5 close to said eyes, so that the transverse bends 5 thusmade will prevent the braces from m oving endwise relatively to saideyes. Said bends 5, it will be observed, lie on the same side of bothtangential braces B and the corresponding spring-wires 3 and can easilybe made. At the ends of the diametrical braces are loops 6, whichinclose the ends of the corresponding lateral loops 2. These loops alsoinclose the additional longitudinal wires D, of which four are shown,one at each edge of each spring structure or halt of the bed-bottom.These additional wires increase the stiffness at the lines where suchextra stiltness is most useful. The hinges E between the connectedstructures are made of bent wire, the loop 7 of each hinge passingthrough and engaging the loop 6 at the end of a diametrical brace 011one of said structures, so as to form a flexible hinge-j oint, and thehingewire being secured to the other structure at the two points 8 and9, so as to be rigidly held. As shown, the ends of each hinge-wireextend on either side of a loop 2 under the longitudinal wire D at 8,and are wrapped about the diametrical brace C at 9. It will be ob servedthat, as shown, the hinges E are between the abutting ends of thecross-braces C, which are secured to the springs A, transverse to theline of hing-ing, the wires of hinges E engaging the looped ends ofthese braces. It will also be observed that, as shown, there is, inaddition to the regular braces B, a wire D on each side of the line ofhinging or axis at which the bed-bottom folds. The diametrical braces O,as shown, are of flat wire; but round wire may be used, and, in fact,the invention is not restricted to any form of wire for these braces orfor other parts. In the references hereinafter made to a springbedbottom it will be understood that it is notintended to excludeanalogous structures.

The term horizontal or horizontally is used herein with referencegenerally to a plane at right angles to the axes (ordinarily but notnecessarily vertical) of the coiled-Wire springs, rather than to a planeparallel with that of the terrestrial horizon.

I claim as my invention or discovery- 1. The combination, with thecoiled-wire springs, the parallel substantially straight tangentialbraces provided with lateral loops bent around the spring-wires, and thediametrical braces threaded through the eyes which are made by theclosed ends of said lateral loops and provided with end loops whichengage the lateral loops of the corresponding tangential braces, ofadditional longitudinal wires laid along the last-mentioned tangentialbraces and inclosed with said lateral loops by the aforesaid end loops,substantially as described.

2. In combination with the coiled -wire springs and the diainetricalbraces, the substantially straight tangential braces provided withlateral loops with U-bends, as seen in end view, and also with end loopsdirectly adj acent to the last of said lateral loops and lying in aplane parallel with the vertical members of the said U-bends, said endloops permitting a quarter-turn to the tangential braces after said endloops have been hooked over the spring-wires, substantially asdescribed.

3. In combination with two parts or structures of coiled-wire springsand braces, hinges connecting said parts and composed each of a wirelooped about a wire on one of the connected parts or structures, so asto constitute a hinge-joint and secured to the other part or structureat two points at diiterent distances from the axis of hinging, so as tobe held rigidly thereby, substantially as described.

4. In combination with two parts or structures of coiled -wire springs,longitudinal braces and cross-braces having looped ends, hinges of bentwire separate from said braces, each hinge engaging the abutting loopedends of cross-braces on the said two parts of structures, substantiallyas described.

5. Ihecombination,withtwopartsor structures each composed of coiled-wiresprings, substantially straight tangential braces haw in g lateral loopsbent around the spring-wires, and diametrical braces threaded throughthe eyes which are made by the closed ends of said lateral loops andprovided with end loops, of hinges of bent wire, each passed through IIOthe end loop of one diametrical brace to form a hinge-joint and rigidlysecured on the opbottom, the bed-bottom being provided atthe line ofhinging with one or more extra wlres posite side of the line of hingingby having in addition to the regularlongitudinal braces,

its ends extended 011 either side of thelateral loop in a tangentialbrace and over and around a diametrical brace, substantially asdescribed.

6. A tWopart bed-bottom composed of coiled-wire springs, longitudinalwire braces, wire-cross braces, and hinges directly connecting the wiresof one part with the wires of the other at the upper surface of thebedso as to make the bed-bottom stiffer along said line than on eitherside thereof, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo Witnesses. 2o

ADDISON F. PUREFOY. \Vitnesses:

F. H. BRIGGS, JULIAN TIMBERLAKE.

